RoyalGate Energy to drill offshore Equatorial Guinea

Created: Thursday, 01 October 2015 04:50

Drilling of the Z-1 well in Block Z is expected to start in Q1 2016. (Image source: www.dragonoil.com/Wikimedia Commons)RoyalGate Energy has announced that it will drill the Tulip Upper Isongo discovery and Tulip Massive Isongo prospect in Equatorial Guinea

The USA-headquartered company is the operator for Block Z offshore Equatorial Guinea, and has said that the Z-1 well is to be drilled in Q1 2016. Located to the north of Bioko Island and south of the Marathon Oil-operated Alba field, the block has estimated gas reserves of more than 3.6 tcf.

The operator plans to drill the Z-1 well close to the location of previous offset wells and in the vicinity of known producers. These offset wells provided initial geological and geophysical data. Based on this and seismic, magnetometer and shallow gas hazard data, the well has been designed and located to intercept the Upper Isongo and Massive Isongo zones.

Data from a 600 sqkm 3D seismic survey commissioned by RoyalGate Energy in 2014 showed four high-potential prospects, named Tulip, Daisy, Buttercup and Sunflower. Earlier, in 2004, the Gardenia block has been discoved in Block Z, with reserves of 320 bcf of gas and 25mn boe of condensate.

President of RoyalGate Energy, Frank Ene said, “We are proud to announce the drilling programme for the Z-1 well. This is the continuation of what we see as a long-term partnership with Equatorial Guinea and we see a lot of development potential for Block Z. We are bullish about the prospectivity of this block and our other assets in Equatorial Guinea.”

RoyalGate Energy entered the block as operator in 2013. The company also has assets in Ghana.